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Shepherd MJ, Fu T, Harrington NE, Kottara A, Cagney K, Chalmers JD, Paterson S, Fothergill JL, Brockhurst MA. Ecological and evolutionary mechanisms driving within-patient emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Nat Rev Microbiol 2024; 22:650-665. [PMID: 38689039 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-024-01041-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
The ecological and evolutionary mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emergence within patients and how these vary across bacterial infections are poorly understood. Increasingly widespread use of pathogen genome sequencing in the clinic enables a deeper understanding of these processes. In this Review, we explore the clinical evidence to support four major mechanisms of within-patient AMR emergence in bacteria: spontaneous resistance mutations; in situ horizontal gene transfer of resistance genes; selection of pre-existing resistance; and immigration of resistant lineages. Within-patient AMR emergence occurs across a wide range of host niches and bacterial species, but the importance of each mechanism varies between bacterial species and infection sites within the body. We identify potential drivers of such differences and discuss how ecological and evolutionary analysis could be embedded within clinical trials of antimicrobials, which are powerful but underused tools for understanding why these mechanisms vary between pathogens, infections and individuals. Ultimately, improving understanding of how host niche, bacterial species and antibiotic mode of action combine to govern the ecological and evolutionary mechanism of AMR emergence in patients will enable more predictive and personalized diagnosis and antimicrobial therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Shepherd
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - Taoran Fu
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Niamh E Harrington
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Anastasia Kottara
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Kendall Cagney
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - James D Chalmers
- Division of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Steve Paterson
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Joanne L Fothergill
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Michael A Brockhurst
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
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2
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Jiang H, Dong Y, Jiao X, Tang B, Feng T, Li P, Fang J. In vivo fitness of sul gene-dependent sulfonamide-resistant Escherichia coli in the mammalian gut. mSystems 2024; 9:e0083624. [PMID: 39140732 PMCID: PMC11406977 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00836-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
The widespread sulfonamide resistance genes sul1, sul2, and sul3 in food and gut bacteria have attracted considerable attention. In this study, we assessed the in vivo fitness of sul gene-dependent sulfonamide-resistant Escherichia coli, using a murine model. High fitness costs were incurred for sul1 and sul3 gene-dependent E. coli strains in vivo. A fitness advantage was found in three of the eight mice after intragastric administration of sul2 gene-dependent E. coli strains. We isolated three compensatory mutant strains (CMSs) independently from three mice that outcompeted the parent strain P2 in vivo. Whole-genome sequencing revealed seven identical single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mutations in the three CMSs compared with strain P2, an additional SNP mutation in strain S2-2, and two additional SNP mutations in strain S2-3. Furthermore, tandem mass tag-based quantitative proteomic analysis revealed abundant differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the CMSs compared with P2. Of these, seven key fitness-related DEPs distributed in two-component systems, galactose and tryptophan metabolism pathways, were verified using parallel reaction monitoring analysis. The DEPs in the CMSs influenced bacterial motility, environmental stress tolerance, colonization ability, carbohydrate utilization, cell morphology maintenance, and chemotaxis to restore fitness costs and adapt to the mammalian gut environment.IMPORTANCESulfonamides are traditional synthetic antimicrobial agents used in clinical and veterinary medical settings. Their long-term excessive overuse has resulted in widespread microbial resistance, limiting their application for medical interventions. Resistance to sulfonamides is primarily conferred by the alternative genes sul1, sul2, and sul3 encoding dihydropteroate synthase in bacteria. Studying the potential fitness cost of these sul genes is crucial for understanding the evolution and transmission of sulfonamide-resistant bacteria. In vitro studies have been conducted on the fitness cost of sul genes in bacteria. In this study, we provide critical insights into bacterial adaptation and transmission using an in vivo approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Specialty Agri-products Quality and Hazard Controlling Technology of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuzhi Dong
- Key Laboratory of Specialty Agri-products Quality and Hazard Controlling Technology of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xue Jiao
- Key Laboratory of Specialty Agri-products Quality and Hazard Controlling Technology of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Biao Tang
- School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Tao Feng
- Key Laboratory of Specialty Agri-products Quality and Hazard Controlling Technology of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ping Li
- Key Laboratory for Food Microbial Technology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiehong Fang
- Key Laboratory of Specialty Agri-products Quality and Hazard Controlling Technology of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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3
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Decaestecker E, Van de Moortel B, Mukherjee S, Gurung A, Stoks R, De Meester L. Hierarchical eco-evo dynamics mediated by the gut microbiome. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:165-174. [PMID: 37863775 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
The concept of eco-evolutionary (eco-evo) dynamics, stating that ecological and evolutionary processes occur at similar time scales and influence each other, has contributed to our understanding of responses of populations, communities, and ecosystems to environmental change. Phenotypes, central to these eco-evo processes, can be strongly impacted by the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome shapes eco-evo dynamics in the host community through its effects on the host phenotype. Complex eco-evo feedback loops between the gut microbiome and the host communities might thus be common. Bottom-up dynamics occur when eco-evo interactions shaping the gut microbiome affect host phenotypes with consequences at population, community, and ecosystem levels. Top-down dynamics occur when eco-evo dynamics shaping the host community structure the gut microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Decaestecker
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Facility Life Sciences, KU Leuven, KULAK, Campus Kortrijk, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium.
| | - Broos Van de Moortel
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Facility Life Sciences, KU Leuven, KULAK, Campus Kortrijk, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Shinjini Mukherjee
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, KU Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Reproductive Genomics, KU Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Aditi Gurung
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, KU Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Robby Stoks
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, KU Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Luc De Meester
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, KU Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), D-12587 Berlin, Germany; Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
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4
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Finks SS, Moudgalya P, Weihe C, Martiny JBH. The contribution of plasmids to trait diversity in a soil bacterium. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycae025. [PMID: 38584646 PMCID: PMC10999282 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycae025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Plasmids are so closely associated with pathogens and antibiotic resistance that their potential for conferring other traits is often overlooked. Few studies consider how the full suite of traits encoded by plasmids is related to a host's environmental adaptation, particularly for Gram-positive bacteria. To investigate the role that plasmid traits might play in microbial communities from natural ecosystems, we identified plasmids carried by isolates of Curtobacterium (phylum Actinomycetota) from a variety of soil environments. We found that plasmids were common, but not ubiquitous, in the genus and varied greatly in their size and genetic diversity. There was little evidence of phylogenetic conservation among Curtobacterium plasmids even for closely related bacterial strains within the same ecotype, indicating that horizontal transmission of plasmids is common. The plasmids carried a wide diversity of traits that were not a random subset of the host chromosome. Furthermore, the composition of these plasmid traits was associated with the environmental context of the host bacterium. Together, the results indicate that plasmids contribute substantially to the microdiversity of a soil bacterium and that this diversity may play a role in niche differentiation and a bacterium's adaptation to its local environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarai S Finks
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-2525, United States
| | - Pranav Moudgalya
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-2525, United States
| | - Claudia Weihe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-2525, United States
| | - Jennifer B H Martiny
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-2525, United States
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5
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Abstract
A massive number of microorganisms, belonging to different species, continuously divide inside the guts of animals and humans. The large size of these communities and their rapid division times imply that we should be able to watch microbial evolution in the gut in real time, in a similar manner to what has been done in vitro. Here, we review recent findings on how natural selection shapes intrahost evolution (also known as within-host evolution), with a focus on the intestines of mice and humans. The microbiota of a healthy host is not as static as initially thought from the information measured at only one genomic marker. Rather, the genomes of each gut-colonizing species can be highly dynamic, and such dynamism seems to be related to the microbiota species diversity. Genetic and bioinformatic tools, and analysis of time series data, allow quantification of the selection strength on emerging mutations and horizontal transfer events in gut ecosystems. The drivers and functional consequences of gut evolution can now begin to be grasped. The rules of this intrahost microbiota evolution, and how they depend on the biology of each species, need to be understood for more effective development of microbiota therapies to help maintain or restore host health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Isabel Gordo
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal.
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6
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Yang L, Mai G, Hu Z, Zhou H, Dai L, Deng Z, Ma Y. Global transmission of broad-host-range plasmids derived from the human gut microbiome. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:8005-8019. [PMID: 37283060 PMCID: PMC10450197 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Broad-host-range (BHR) plasmids in human gut bacteria are of considerable interest for their ability to mediate horizontal gene transfer (HGT) across large phylogenetic distance. However, the human gut plasmids, especially the BHR plasmids, remain largely unknown. Here, we identified the plasmids in the draft genomes of gut bacterial isolates from Chinese and American donors, resulting in 5372 plasmid-like clusters (PLCs), of which, 820 PLCs (comPLCs) were estimated with > 60% completeness genomes and only 155 (18.9%) were classified to known replicon types (n = 37). We observed that 175 comPLCs had a broad host range across distinct bacterial genera, of which, 71 were detected in at least two human populations of Chinese, American, Spanish, and Danish, and 13 were highly prevalent (>10%) in at least one human population. Haplotype analyses of two widespread PLCs demonstrated their spreading and evolutionary trajectory, suggesting frequent and recent exchanges of the BHR plasmids in environments. In conclusion, we obtained a large collection of plasmid sequences in human gut bacteria and demonstrated that a subset of the BHR plasmids can be transmitted globally, thus facilitating extensive HGT (e.g. antibiotic resistance genes) events. This study highlights the potential implications of the plasmids for global human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Guoqin Mai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zheng Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Haokui Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Lei Dai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ziqing Deng
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
- BGI-Beijing, Beijing 102600, China
| | - Yingfei Ma
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
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7
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Ma Y, Ramoneda J, Johnson DR. Timing of antibiotic administration determines the spread of plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance during microbial range expansion. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3530. [PMID: 37316482 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39354-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are the main vector by which antibiotic resistance is transferred between bacterial cells within surface-associated communities. In this study, we ask whether there is an optimal time to administer antibiotics to minimize plasmid spread in new bacterial genotypes during community expansion across surfaces. We address this question using consortia of Pseudomonas stutzeri strains, where one is an antibiotic resistance-encoding plasmid donor and the other a potential recipient. We allowed the strains to co-expand across a surface and administered antibiotics at different times. We find that plasmid transfer and transconjugant proliferation have unimodal relationships with the timing of antibiotic administration, where they reach maxima at intermediate times. These unimodal relationships result from the interplay between the probabilities of plasmid transfer and loss. Our study provides mechanistic insights into the transfer and proliferation of antibiotic resistance-encoding plasmids within microbial communities and identifies the timing of antibiotic administration as an important determinant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinyin Ma
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), 8092, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Josep Ramoneda
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - David R Johnson
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.
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8
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Outbreak of OXA-48-producing Enterobacteriaceae in a neonatal intensive care unit in Western Sweden. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2023; 42:597-605. [PMID: 36940049 PMCID: PMC10105658 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-023-04584-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2023]
Abstract
In 2015, an outbreak caused by OXA-48-producing Enterobacteriaceae affected a neonatal intensive care unit at a Swedish University Hospital. The aim was to explore the transmission of OXA-48-producing strains between infants and the transfer of resistance plasmids between strains during the outbreak. Twenty-four outbreak isolates from ten suspected cases were whole-genome sequenced. A complete assembly was created for the index isolate (Enterobacter cloacae) and used as a mapping reference to detect its plasmids in the remaining isolates (17 Klebsiella pneumoniae, 4 Klebsiella aerogenes, and 2 Escherichia coli). Strain typing was performed using core genome MLST and SNP analysis. As judged from sequencing and clinical epidemiological data, the outbreak involved nine cases (two developed sepsis) and four OXA-48-producing strains: E. cloacae ST1584 (index case), K. pneumoniae ST25 (eight cases), K. aerogenes ST93 (two cases), and E. coli ST453 (2 cases). Two plasmids from the index strain, pEclA2 and pEclA4, carrying blaOXA48 and blaCMY-4, respectively, were traced to all K. pneumoniae ST25 isolates. Klebsiella aerogenes ST93 and E. coli ST453 harboured either only pEclA2, or both pEclA2 and pEclA4. One suspected case harbouring OXA-162-producing K. pneumoniae ST37 could be excluded from the outbreak. Once initiated by an E. cloacae strain, the outbreak was caused by the dissemination of a K. pneumoniae ST25 strain and involved inter-species horizontal transfer of two resistance plasmids, one of which carried blaOXA-48. To our knowledge, this is the first description of an outbreak of OXA-48-producing Enterobacteriaceae in a neonatal setting in northern Europe.
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9
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Zhou M, Cai Q, Zhang C, Ouyang P, Yu L, Xu Y. Antibiotic resistance bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes survived from the extremely acidity posing a risk on intestinal bacteria in an in vitro digestion model by horizontal gene transfer. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 247:114247. [PMID: 36332408 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are emerging contaminants posing risk to human health. To investigate the pathogenic ARBs and the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) via both extracellular ARGs (eARGs) and intracellular ARGs (iARGs), an in vitro digestion simulation system was established to monitoring the ARB and ARGs passing through the artificial digestive tract. The results showed that ARB was mostly affected by the acidity of the gastric fluid with about 99% ARB (total population of 2.45 × 109-2.54 × 109) killed at pH 2.0 and severe damage of bacterial cell membrane. However, more than 80% ARB (total population of 2.71 × 109-3.90 × 109) survived the challenge when the pH of the gastric fluid was 3.0 and above. Most ARB died from the high acidity, but its ARGs, intI1 and 16 S rRNA could be detected. The eARGs (accounting for 0.03-24.56% of total genes) were less than iARGs obviously. The eARGs showed greater HGT potential than that of iARGs, suggesting that transformation occurred more easily than conjugation. The transferring potential followed: tet (100%) > sul (75%) > bla (58%), related to the high correlation of intI1 with tetA and sul2 (p < 0.01). Moreover, gastric juice of pH 1.0 could decrease the transfer frequency of ARGs by 2-3 order of magnitude compared to the control, but still posing potential risks to human health. Under the treatment of digestive fluid, ARGs showed high gene horizontal transfer potential, suggesting that food-borne ARBs pose a great risk of horizontal transfer of ARGs to intestinal bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhou
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Qiujie Cai
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Chaonan Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Pengqian Ouyang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Ling Yu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Center of Analysis and Test, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yanbin Xu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Center of Analysis and Test, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
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10
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Kessler C, Hou J, Neo O, Buckner MMC. In situ, in vivo, and in vitro approaches for studying AMR plasmid conjugation in the gut microbiome. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2022; 47:6807411. [PMID: 36341518 PMCID: PMC9841969 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuac044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat, with evolution and spread of resistance to frontline antibiotics outpacing the development of novel treatments. The spread of AMR is perpetuated by transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) between bacteria, notably those encoded by conjugative plasmids. The human gut microbiome is a known 'melting pot' for plasmid conjugation, with ARG transfer in this environment widely documented. There is a need to better understand the factors affecting the incidence of these transfer events, and to investigate methods of potentially counteracting the spread of ARGs. This review describes the use and potential of three approaches to studying conjugation in the human gut: observation of in situ events in hospitalized patients, modelling of the microbiome in vivo predominantly in rodent models, and the use of in vitro models of various complexities. Each has brought unique insights to our understanding of conjugation in the gut. The use and development of these systems, and combinations thereof, will be pivotal in better understanding the significance, prevalence, and manipulability of horizontal gene transfer in the gut microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celia Kessler
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection College of Medical and Dental Sciences Biosciences Building University Road West University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Jingping Hou
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection College of Medical and Dental Sciences Biosciences Building University Road West University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Onalenna Neo
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection College of Medical and Dental Sciences Biosciences Building University Road West University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle M C Buckner
- Corresponding author: Biosciences Building, University Road West, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)121 415 8758; E-mail:
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11
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Pan X, Zhou Z, Liu B, Wu Z. A novel therapeutic concern: Antibiotic resistance genes in common chronic diseases. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1037389. [DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1037389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance genes pose a severe threat to global public health and human health. In clinical practice, it has been found that human gut microbiota act as a “reservoir” of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) since gut microbiota contain a wide variety of ARGs, and that the structure of the gut microbiome is influenced by the profile of the drug resistance genes present. In addition, ARGs can spread within and between species of the gut microbiome in multiple ways. To better understand gut microbiota ARGs and their effects on patients with chronic diseases, this article reviews the generation of ARGs, common vectors that transmit ARGs, the characteristics of gut microbiota ARGs in common chronic diseases, their impact on prognosis, the current state of treatment for ARGs, and what should be addressed in future research.
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12
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Shi X, Xia Y, Wei W, Ni BJ. Accelerated spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) induced by non-antibiotic conditions: Roles and mechanisms. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 224:119060. [PMID: 36096030 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The global spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has wreaked havoc with the treatment efficiency of antibiotics and, ultimately, anti-microbial chemotherapy, and has been conventionally attributed to the abuse and misuse of antibiotics. However, the ancient ARGs have alterative functions in bacterial physiology and thus they could be co-regulated by non-antibiotic conditions. Recent research has demonstrated that many non-antibiotic chemicals such as microplastics, metallic nanoparticles and non-antibiotic drugs, as well as some non-antibiotic conditions, can accelerate the dissemination of ARGs. These results suggested that the role of antibiotics might have been previously overestimated whereas the effects of non-antibiotic conditions were possibly ignored. Thus, in an attempt to fully understand the fate and behavior of ARGs in the eco-system, it is urgent to critically highlight the role and mechanisms of non-antibiotic chemicals and related environmental factors in the spread of ARGs. To this end, this timely review assessed the evolution of ARGs, especially its function alteration, summarized the non-antibiotic chemicals promoting the spread of ARGs, evaluated the non-antibiotic conditions related to ARG dissemination and analyzed the molecular mechanisms related to spread of ARGs induced by the non-antibiotic factors. Finally, this review then provided several critical perspectives for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingdong Shi
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Yu Xia
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Bing-Jie Ni
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
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13
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Malaka De Silva P, Stenhouse GE, Blackwell GA, Bengtsson RJ, Jenkins C, Hall JPJ, Baker KS. A tale of two plasmids: contributions of plasmid associated phenotypes to epidemiological success among Shigella. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220581. [PMID: 35919999 PMCID: PMC9346365 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) mediated through plasmids is a major global concern. Genomic epidemiology studies have shown varying success of different AMR plasmids during outbreaks, but the underlying reasons for these differences are unclear. Here, we investigated two Shigella plasmids (pKSR100 and pAPR100) that circulated in the same transmission network but had starkly contrasting epidemiological outcomes to identify plasmid features that may have contributed to the differences. We used plasmid comparative genomics to reveal divergence between the two plasmids in genes encoding AMR, SOS response alleviation and conjugation. Experimental analyses revealed that these genomic differences corresponded with reduced conjugation efficiencies for the epidemiologically successful pKSR100, but more extensive AMR, reduced fitness costs, and a reduced SOS response in the presence of antimicrobials, compared with the less successful pAPR100. The discrepant phenotypes between the two plasmids are consistent with the hypothesis that plasmid-associated phenotypes contribute to determining the epidemiological outcome of AMR HGT and suggest that phenotypes relevant in responding to antimicrobial pressure and fitness impact may be more important than those around conjugation in this setting. Plasmid phenotypes could thus be valuable tools in conjunction with genomic epidemiology for predicting AMR dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. Malaka De Silva
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - George E. Stenhouse
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Grace A. Blackwell
- EMBL-EBI, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB101SA, UK,Department of Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB101SA, UK
| | - Rebecca J. Bengtsson
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Claire Jenkins
- Gastro and Food Safety (One Health) Division, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Colindale, London, UK
| | - James P. J. Hall
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Kate S. Baker
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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14
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Bottery MJ. Ecological dynamics of plasmid transfer and persistence in microbial communities. Curr Opin Microbiol 2022; 68:102152. [PMID: 35504055 PMCID: PMC9586876 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2022.102152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Plasmids are a major driver of horizontal gene transfer in prokaryotes, allowing the sharing of ecologically important accessory traits between distantly related bacterial taxa. Within microbial communities, interspecies transfer of conjugative plasmids can rapidly drive the generation genomic innovation and diversification. Recent studies are starting to shed light on how the microbial community context, that is, the bacterial diversity together with interspecies interactions that occur within a community, can alter the dynamics of conjugative plasmid transfer and persistence. Here, I summarise the latest research exploring how community ecology can both facilitate and impose barriers to the spread of conjugative plasmids within complex microbial communities. Ultimately, the fate of plasmids within communities is unlikely to be determined by any one individual host, rather it will depend on the interacting factors imposed by the community in which it is embedded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Bottery
- Division of Evolution Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
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15
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Conteville LC, Vicente ACP. A plasmid network from the gut microbiome of semi-isolated human groups reveals unique and shared metabolic and virulence traits. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12102. [PMID: 35840779 PMCID: PMC9287393 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16392-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The plasmids in gut microbiomes have the potential to contribute to the microbiome community, as well as human health and physiology. Nevertheless, this niche remains poorly explored. In general, most microbiome studies focus on urban-industrialized groups, but here, we studied semi-isolated groups from South America and Africa, which would represent a link between ancestral and modern human groups. Based on open metagenomic data, we characterized the set of plasmids, including their genes and functions, from the gut microbiome of the Hadza, Matses, Tunapuco, and Yanomami, semi-isolated groups with a hunter, gather or subsistence lifestyle. Unique plasmid clusters and gene functions for each human group were identified. Moreover, a dozen plasmid clusters circulating in other niches worldwide are shared by these distinct groups. In addition, novel and unique plasmids harboring resistance (encompassing six antibiotic classes and multiple metals) and virulence (as type VI secretion systems) genes were identified. Functional analysis revealed pathways commonly associated with urban-industrialized groups, such as lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis that was characterized in the Hadza gut plasmids. These results demonstrate the richness of plasmids in semi-isolated human groups’ gut microbiome, which represents an important source of information with biotechnological/pharmaceutical potential, but also on the spread of resistance/virulence genes to semi-isolated groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliane Costa Conteville
- Laboratório de Genética Molecular de Microrganismos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Ana Carolina Paulo Vicente
- Laboratório de Genética Molecular de Microrganismos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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16
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Dimitriu T. Evolution of horizontal transmission in antimicrobial resistance plasmids. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2022; 168. [PMID: 35849537 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) are one of the main vectors for the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across bacteria, due to their ability to move horizontally between bacterial lineages. Horizontal transmission of AMR can increase AMR prevalence at multiple scales, from increasing the prevalence of infections by resistant bacteria to pathogen epidemics and worldwide spread of AMR across species. Among MGEs, conjugative plasmids are the main contributors to the spread of AMR. This review discusses the selective pressures acting on MGEs and their hosts to promote or limit the horizontal transmission of MGEs, the mechanisms by which transmission rates can evolve, and their implications for limiting the spread of AMR, with a focus on AMR plasmids.
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17
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Chen DW, Garud NR. Rapid evolution and strain turnover in the infant gut microbiome. Genome Res 2022; 32:1124-1136. [PMID: 35545448 PMCID: PMC9248880 DOI: 10.1101/gr.276306.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Although the ecological dynamics of the infant gut microbiome have been intensely studied, relatively little is known about evolutionary dynamics in the infant gut microbiome. Here we analyze longitudinal fecal metagenomic data from more than 700 infants and their mothers over the first year of life and find that the evolutionary dynamics in infant gut microbiomes are distinct from those of adults. We find evidence for more than a 10-fold increase in the rate of evolution and strain turnover in the infant gut compared with healthy adults, with the mother-infant transition at delivery being a particularly dynamic period in which gene loss dominates. Within a few months after birth, these dynamics stabilize, and gene gains become increasingly frequent as the microbiome matures. We furthermore find that evolutionary changes in infants show signatures of being seeded by a mixture of de novo mutations and transmissions of pre-evolved lineages from the broader family. Several of these evolutionary changes occur in parallel across infants, highlighting candidate genes that may play important roles in the development of the infant gut microbiome. Our results point to a picture of a volatile infant gut microbiome characterized by rapid evolutionary and ecological change in the early days of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisy W Chen
- Computational and Systems Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1606, USA
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, University of California, San Diego, California 92093, USA
| | - Nandita R Garud
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1606, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1606, USA
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18
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Kang K, Imamovic L, Misiakou MA, Bornakke Sørensen M, Heshiki Y, Ni Y, Zheng T, Li J, Ellabaan MMH, Colomer-Lluch M, Rode AA, Bytzer P, Panagiotou G, Sommer MO. Expansion and persistence of antibiotic-specific resistance genes following antibiotic treatment. Gut Microbes 2022; 13:1-19. [PMID: 33779498 PMCID: PMC8018486 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2021.1900995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Oral antibiotics are commonly prescribed to non-hospitalized adults. However, antibiotic-induced changes in the human gut microbiome are often investigated in cohorts with preexisting health conditions and/or concomitant medication, leaving the effects of antibiotics not completely understood. We used a combination of omic approaches to comprehensively assess the effects of antibiotics on the gut microbiota and particularly the gut resistome of a small cohort of healthy adults. We observed that 3 to 19 species per individual proliferated during antibiotic treatment and Gram-negative species expanded significantly in relative abundance. While the overall relative abundance of antibiotic resistance gene homologs did not significantly change, antibiotic-specific gene homologs with presumed resistance toward the administered antibiotics were common in proliferating species and significantly increased in relative abundance. Virome sequencing and plasmid analysis showed an expansion of antibiotic-specific resistance gene homologs even 3 months after antibiotic administration, while paired-end read analysis suggested their dissemination among different species. These results suggest that antibiotic treatment can lead to a persistent expansion of antibiotic resistance genes in the human gut microbiota and provide further data in support of good antibiotic stewardship.Abbreviation: ARG - Antibiotic resistance gene homolog; AsRG - Antibiotic-specific resistance gene homolog; AZY - Azithromycin; CFX - Cefuroxime; CIP - Ciprofloxacin; DOX - Doxycycline; FDR - False discovery rate; GRiD - Growth rate index value; HGT - Horizontal gene transfer; NMDS - Non-metric multidimensional scaling; qPCR - Quantitative polymerase chain reaction; RPM - Reads per million mapped reads; TA - Transcriptional activity; TE - Transposable element; TPM - Transcripts per million mapped reads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Kang
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability,Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark,Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Systems Biology and Bioinformatics - Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany,CONTACT Lejla Imamovic Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 220, DK-2800, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Lejla Imamovic
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability,Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark,Gianni Panagiotou Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knoell Institute, Adolf-Reichwein-Straße 23, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Maria-Anna Misiakou
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability,Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark,Morten O.A. Sommer Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 220, DK-2800, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Maria Bornakke Sørensen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability,Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Yoshitaro Heshiki
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Systems Biology and Bioinformatics - Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany,Kadoorie Biological Sciences Building, School of Biological Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, S. A. R. China
| | - Yueqiong Ni
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Systems Biology and Bioinformatics - Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Tingting Zheng
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Systems Biology and Bioinformatics - Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany,Kadoorie Biological Sciences Building, School of Biological Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, S. A. R. China
| | - Jun Li
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Systems Biology and Bioinformatics - Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany,Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Colleague of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, S.A.R.China,School of Data Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, S. A. R. China
| | - Mostafa M. H. Ellabaan
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability,Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Marta Colomer-Lluch
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability,Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Anne A. Rode
- Department of Medicine, Zealand University Hospital - Køge, Køge, Denmark,Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter Bytzer
- Department of Medicine, Zealand University Hospital - Køge, Køge, Denmark,Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Gianni Panagiotou
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Systems Biology and Bioinformatics - Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany,Kadoorie Biological Sciences Building, School of Biological Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, S. A. R. China,Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, S. A. R. China
| | - Morten O.A. Sommer
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability,Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
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19
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Duxbury SJN, Alderliesten JB, Zwart MP, Stegeman A, Fischer EAJ, de Visser JAGM. Chicken gut microbiome members limit the spread of an antimicrobial resistance plasmid in Escherichia coli. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20212027. [PMID: 34727719 PMCID: PMC8564601 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmid-mediated antimicrobial resistance is a major contributor to the spread of resistance genes within bacterial communities. Successful plasmid spread depends upon a balance between plasmid fitness effects on the host and rates of horizontal transmission. While these key parameters are readily quantified in vitro, the influence of interactions with other microbiome members is largely unknown. Here, we investigated the influence of three genera of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) derived from the chicken gastrointestinal microbiome on the spread of an epidemic narrow-range ESBL resistance plasmid, IncI1 carrying blaCTX-M-1, in mixed cultures of isogenic Escherichia coli strains. Secreted products of LAB decreased E. coli growth rates in a genus-specific manner but did not affect plasmid transfer rates. Importantly, we quantified plasmid transfer rates by controlling for density-dependent mating opportunities. Parametrization of a mathematical model with our in vitro estimates illustrated that small fitness costs of plasmid carriage may tip the balance towards plasmid loss under growth conditions in the gastrointestinal tract. This work shows that microbial interactions can influence plasmid success and provides an experimental-theoretical framework for further study of plasmid transfer in a microbiome context.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesse B. Alderliesten
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mark P. Zwart
- Department of Microbial Ecology, The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Arjan Stegeman
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Egil A. J. Fischer
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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20
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Zhang Y, Xu S, Yang Y, Chou SH, He J. A 'time bomb' in the human intestine-the multiple emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Environ Microbiol 2021; 24:1231-1246. [PMID: 34632679 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotics have a strong killing effect on bacteria and are the first choice for the prevention and treatment of bacterial infectious diseases. Therefore, they have been widely used in the medical field, animal husbandry and planting industry. However, with the massive use of antibiotics, more and more antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) have emerged. Because human intestines are rich in nutrients, have suitable temperature, and are high in bacterial abundance, they can easily become a hotbed for the spread of ARB and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs). When opportunistic pathogenic bacteria in the intestine acquire ARGs, the infectious diseases caused by such opportunistic pathogens will become more difficult to treat, or even impossible to cure. Therefore, ARB in the human intestine are like a 'time bomb'. In this review, we discuss the sources of intestinal ARB and the transmission routes of ARGs in the human intestine from the perspective of One Health. Further, we describe various methods to prevent the emergence of ARB and inhibit the spread of ARGs in the human intestine. Finally, we may be able to overcome ARB in the human intestine using an interdisciplinary 'One Health' approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuling Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology & Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Siyang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology & Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Yijun Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology & Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Shan-Ho Chou
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology & Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Jin He
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology & Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
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21
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Microbiome assembly for sulfonamide subsistence and the transfer of genetic determinants. THE ISME JOURNAL 2021; 15:2817-2829. [PMID: 33820946 PMCID: PMC8443634 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-00969-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 03/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic subsistence in bacteria represents an alternative resistance machinery, while paradoxically, it is also a cure for environmental resistance. Antibiotic-subsisting bacteria can detoxify antibiotic-polluted environments and prevent the development of antibiotic resistance in environments. However, progress toward efficient in situ engineering of antibiotic-subsisting bacteria is hindered by the lack of mechanistic and predictive understanding of the assembly of the functioning microbiome. By top-down manipulation of wastewater microbiomes using sulfadiazine as the single limiting source, we monitored the ecological selection process that forces the wastewater microbiome to perform efficient sulfadiazine subsistence. We found that the community-level assembly selects for the same three families rising to prominence across different initial pools of microbiomes. We further analyzed the assembly patterns using a linear model. Detailed inspections of the sulfonamide metabolic gene clusters in individual genomes of isolates and assembled metagenomes reveal limited transfer potential beyond the boundaries of the Micrococcaceae lineage. Our results open up new possibilities for engineering specialist bacteria for environmental applications.
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22
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Artificial sweeteners stimulate horizontal transfer of extracellular antibiotic resistance genes through natural transformation. ISME JOURNAL 2021; 16:543-554. [PMID: 34465899 PMCID: PMC8776823 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01095-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance has emerged as a global threat to human health. Natural transformation is an important pathway for horizontal gene transfer, which facilitates the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among bacteria. Although it is suspected that artificial sweeteners could exert antimicrobial effects, little is known whether artificial sweeteners would also affect horizontal transfer of ARGs via transformation. Here we demonstrate that four commonly used artificial sweeteners (saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium) promote transfer of ARGs via natural transformation in Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1, a model organism for studying competence and transformation. Such phenomenon was also found in a Gram-positive human pathogen Bacillus subtilis and mice faecal microbiome. We reveal that exposure to these sweeteners increases cell envelope permeability and results in an upregulation of genes encoding DNA uptake and translocation (Com) machinery. In addition, we find that artificial sweeteners induce an increase in plasmid persistence in transformants. We propose a mathematical model established to predict the long-term effects on transformation dynamics under exposure to these sweeteners. Collectively, our findings offer insights into natural transformation promoted by artificial sweeteners and highlight the need to evaluate these environmental contaminants for their antibiotic-like side effects.
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23
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D'Souza AW, Boolchandani M, Patel S, Galazzo G, van Hattem JM, Arcilla MS, Melles DC, de Jong MD, Schultsz C, Dantas G, Penders J. Destination shapes antibiotic resistance gene acquisitions, abundance increases, and diversity changes in Dutch travelers. Genome Med 2021; 13:79. [PMID: 34092249 PMCID: PMC8182900 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-021-00893-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes can spread by hitchhiking in human guts. International travel can exacerbate this public health threat when travelers acquire AMR genes endemic to their destinations and bring them back to their home countries. Prior studies have demonstrated travel-related acquisition of specific opportunistic pathogens and AMR genes, but the extent and magnitude of travel's effects on the gut resistome remain largely unknown. METHODS Using whole metagenomic shotgun sequencing, functional metagenomics, and Dirichlet multinomial mixture models, we investigated the abundance, diversity, function, resistome architecture, and context of AMR genes in the fecal microbiomes of 190 Dutch individuals, before and after travel to diverse international locations. RESULTS Travel markedly increased the abundance and α-diversity of AMR genes in the travelers' gut resistome, and we determined that 56 unique AMR genes showed significant acquisition following international travel. These acquisition events were biased towards AMR genes with efflux, inactivation, and target replacement resistance mechanisms. Travel-induced shaping of the gut resistome had distinct correlations with geographical destination, so individuals returning to The Netherlands from the same destination country were more likely to have similar resistome features. Finally, we identified and detailed specific acquisition events of high-risk, mobile genetic element-associated AMR genes including qnr fluoroquinolone resistance genes, blaCTX-M family extended-spectrum β-lactamases, and the plasmid-borne mcr-1 colistin resistance gene. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that travel shapes the architecture of the human gut resistome and results in AMR gene acquisition against a variety of antimicrobial drug classes. These broad acquisitions highlight the putative risks that international travel poses to public health by gut resistome perturbation and the global spread of locally endemic AMR genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaric W D'Souza
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Manish Boolchandani
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sanket Patel
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Gianluca Galazzo
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jarne M van Hattem
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maris S Arcilla
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Damian C Melles
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Menno D de Jong
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Constance Schultsz
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Global Health, Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gautam Dantas
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - John Penders
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
- School for Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
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24
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Neil K, Allard N, Rodrigue S. Molecular Mechanisms Influencing Bacterial Conjugation in the Intestinal Microbiota. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:673260. [PMID: 34149661 PMCID: PMC8213034 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.673260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial conjugation is a widespread and particularly efficient strategy to horizontally disseminate genes in microbial populations. With a rich and dense population of microorganisms, the intestinal microbiota is often considered a fertile environment for conjugative transfer and a major reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes. In this mini-review, we summarize recent findings suggesting that few conjugative plasmid families present in Enterobacteriaceae transfer at high rates in the gut microbiota. We discuss the importance of mating pair stabilization as well as additional factors influencing DNA transfer efficiency and conjugative host range in this environment. Finally, we examine the potential repurposing of bacterial conjugation for microbiome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sébastien Rodrigue
- Départment de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
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25
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Alonso-Del Valle A, León-Sampedro R, Rodríguez-Beltrán J, DelaFuente J, Hernández-García M, Ruiz-Garbajosa P, Cantón R, Peña-Miller R, San Millán A. Variability of plasmid fitness effects contributes to plasmid persistence in bacterial communities. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2653. [PMID: 33976161 PMCID: PMC8113577 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22849-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmid persistence in bacterial populations is strongly influenced by the fitness effects associated with plasmid carriage. However, plasmid fitness effects in wild-type bacterial hosts remain largely unexplored. In this study, we determined the fitness effects of the major antibiotic resistance plasmid pOXA-48_K8 in wild-type, ecologically compatible enterobacterial isolates from the human gut microbiota. Our results show that although pOXA-48_K8 produced an overall reduction in bacterial fitness, it produced small effects in most bacterial hosts, and even beneficial effects in several isolates. Moreover, genomic results showed a link between pOXA-48_K8 fitness effects and bacterial phylogeny, helping to explain plasmid epidemiology. Incorporating our fitness results into a simple population dynamics model revealed a new set of conditions for plasmid stability in bacterial communities, with plasmid persistence increasing with bacterial diversity and becoming less dependent on conjugation. These results help to explain the high prevalence of plasmids in the greatly diverse natural microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Alonso-Del Valle
- Servicio de Microbiología. Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ricardo León-Sampedro
- Servicio de Microbiología. Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biológica en Red. Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jerónimo Rodríguez-Beltrán
- Servicio de Microbiología. Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biológica en Red. Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier DelaFuente
- Servicio de Microbiología. Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Hernández-García
- Servicio de Microbiología. Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, Spain
- Red Española de Investigación en Patología Infecciosa. Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Ruiz-Garbajosa
- Servicio de Microbiología. Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, Spain
- Red Española de Investigación en Patología Infecciosa. Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Cantón
- Servicio de Microbiología. Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, Spain
- Red Española de Investigación en Patología Infecciosa. Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Peña-Miller
- Center for Genomic Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico.
| | - Alvaro San Millán
- Servicio de Microbiología. Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biológica en Red. Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología-CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
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Mitchell S, Bull M, Muscatello G, Chapman B, Coleman NV. The equine hindgut as a reservoir of mobile genetic elements and antimicrobial resistance genes. Crit Rev Microbiol 2021; 47:543-561. [PMID: 33899656 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2021.1907301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens is a growing problem for both human and veterinary medicine. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) such as plasmids, transposons, and integrons enable the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among bacteria, and the overuse of antibiotics drives this process by providing the selection pressure for resistance genes to establish and persist in bacterial populations. Because bacteria, MGEs, and resistance genes can readily spread between different ecological compartments (e.g. soil, plants, animals, humans, wastewater), a "One Health" approach is needed to combat this problem. The equine hindgut is an understudied but potentially significant reservoir of ARGs and MGEs, since horses have close contact with humans, their manure is used in agriculture, they have a dense microbiome of both bacteria and fungi, and many antimicrobials used for equine treatment are also used in human medicine. Here, we collate information to date about resistance genes, plasmids, and class 1 integrons from equine-derived bacteria, we discuss why the equine hindgut deserves increased attention as a potential reservoir of ARGs, and we suggest ways to minimize the selection for ARGs in horses, in order to prevent their spread to the wider community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Mitchell
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Gary Muscatello
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Nicholas V Coleman
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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27
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Abstract
Within-host adaptation is a hallmark of chronic bacterial infections, involving substantial genomic changes. Recent large-scale genomic data from prolonged infections allow the examination of adaptive strategies employed by different pathogens and open the door to investigate whether they converge toward similar strategies. Here, we compiled extensive data of whole-genome sequences of bacterial isolates belonging to miscellaneous species sampled at sequential time points during clinical infections. Analysis of these data revealed that different species share some common adaptive strategies, achieved by mutating various genes. Although the same genes were often mutated in several strains within a species, different genes related to the same pathway, structure, or function were changed in other species utilizing the same adaptive strategy (e.g., mutating flagellar genes). Strategies exploited by various bacterial species were often predicted to be driven by the host immune system, a powerful selective pressure that is not species specific. Remarkably, we find adaptive strategies identified previously within single species to be ubiquitous. Two striking examples are shifts from siderophore-based to heme-based iron scavenging (previously shown for Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and changes in glycerol-phosphate metabolism (previously shown to decrease sensitivity to antibiotics in Mycobacterium tuberculosis). Virulence factors were often adaptively affected in different species, indicating shifts from acute to chronic virulence and virulence attenuation during infection. Our study presents a global view on common within-host adaptive strategies employed by different bacterial species and provides a rich resource for further studying these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yair E Gatt
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Hanah Margalit
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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28
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Lambrecht E, Van Coillie E, Boon N, Heyndrickx M, Van de Wiele T. Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Plasmid from Commensal E. coli Towards Human Intestinal Microbiota in the M-SHIME: Effect of E. coli dosis, Human Individual and Antibiotic Use. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:192. [PMID: 33670965 PMCID: PMC7997361 DOI: 10.3390/life11030192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Along with (in) direct contact with animals and a contaminated environment, humans are exposed to antibiotic-resistant bacteria by consumption of food. The implications of ingesting antibiotic-resistant commensal bacteria are unknown, as dose-response data on resistance transfer and spreading in our gut is lacking. In this study, transfer of a resistance plasmid (IncF), harbouring several antibiotic resistance genes, from a commensal E. coli strain towards human intestinal microbiota was assessed using a Mucosal Simulator of the Human Intestinal Ecosystem (M-SHIME). More specifically, the effect of the initial E. coli plasmid donor concentration (105 and 107 CFU/meal), antibiotic treatment (cefotaxime) and human individual (n = 6) on plasmid transfer towards lumen coliforms and anaerobes was determined. Transfer of the resistance plasmid to luminal coliforms and anaerobes was observed shortly after the donor strain arrived in the colon and was independent of the ingested dose. Transfer occurred in all six simulated colons and despite their unique microbial community composition, no differences could be detected in antibiotic resistance transfer rates between the simulated human colons. After 72 h, resistant coliform transconjugants levels ranged from 7.6 × 104 to 7.9 × 106 CFUcefotaxime resistant/Ml colon lumen. Presence of the resistance plasmid was confirmed and quantified by PCR and qPCR. Cefotaxime treatment led to a significant reduction (85%) in resistant coliforms, however no significant effect on the total number of cultivable coliforms and anaerobes was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Lambrecht
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium; (E.L.); (N.B.)
- Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture (ILVO), Fisheries and Food, Brusselsesteenweg 370, 9090 Melle, Belgium; (E.V.C.); (M.H.)
| | - Els Van Coillie
- Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture (ILVO), Fisheries and Food, Brusselsesteenweg 370, 9090 Melle, Belgium; (E.V.C.); (M.H.)
| | - Nico Boon
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium; (E.L.); (N.B.)
| | - Marc Heyndrickx
- Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture (ILVO), Fisheries and Food, Brusselsesteenweg 370, 9090 Melle, Belgium; (E.V.C.); (M.H.)
- Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Tom Van de Wiele
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium; (E.L.); (N.B.)
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29
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Kubicek-Sutherland JZ, Xie G, Shakya M, Dighe PK, Jacobs LL, Daligault H, Davenport K, Stromberg LR, Stromberg ZR, Cheng Q, Kempaiah P, Ong’echa JM, Otieno V, Raballah E, Anyona S, Ouma C, Chain PSG, Perkins DJ, Mukundan H, McMahon BH, Doggett NA. Comparative genomic and phenotypic characterization of invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella isolates from Siaya, Kenya. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0008991. [PMID: 33524010 PMCID: PMC7877762 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is a major global health concern that often causes bloodstream infections in areas of the world affected by malnutrition and comorbidities such as HIV and malaria. Developing a strategy to control the emergence and spread of highly invasive and antimicrobial resistant NTS isolates requires a comprehensive analysis of epidemiological factors and molecular pathogenesis. Here, we characterize 11 NTS isolates that caused bloodstream infections in pediatric patients in Siaya, Kenya from 2003-2010. Nine isolates were identified as S. Typhimurium sequence type 313 while the other two were S. Enteritidis. Comprehensive genotypic and phenotypic analyses were performed to compare these isolates to those previously identified in sub-Saharan Africa. We identified a S. Typhimurium isolate referred to as UGA14 that displayed novel plasmid, pseudogene and resistance features as compared to other isolates reported from Africa. Notably, UGA14 is able to ferment both lactose and sucrose due to the acquisition of insertion elements on the pKST313 plasmid. These findings show for the first time the co-evolution of plasmid-mediated lactose and sucrose metabolism along with cephalosporin resistance in NTS further elucidating the evolutionary mechanisms of invasive NTS phenotypes. These results further support the use of combined genomic and phenotypic approaches to detect and characterize atypical NTS isolates in order to advance biosurveillance efforts that inform countermeasures aimed at controlling invasive and antimicrobial resistant NTS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gary Xie
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States
| | - Migun Shakya
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States
| | - Priya K. Dighe
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States
| | - Lindsey L. Jacobs
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States
| | | | - Karen Davenport
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States
| | | | | | - Qiuying Cheng
- Center for Global Health, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Prakasha Kempaiah
- Center for Global Health, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - John Michael Ong’echa
- University of New Mexico/KEMRI Laboratories of Parasitic and Viral Diseases, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Vincent Otieno
- University of New Mexico/KEMRI Laboratories of Parasitic and Viral Diseases, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Evans Raballah
- University of New Mexico/KEMRI Laboratories of Parasitic and Viral Diseases, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, School of Public Health, Biomedical Sciences and Technology, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya
| | - Samuel Anyona
- University of New Mexico/KEMRI Laboratories of Parasitic and Viral Diseases, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Maseno University, Maseno, Kenya
| | - Collins Ouma
- University of New Mexico/KEMRI Laboratories of Parasitic and Viral Diseases, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technology, School of Public Health and Community Development, Maseno University, Maseno, Kenya
| | | | - Douglas J. Perkins
- Center for Global Health, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
- University of New Mexico/KEMRI Laboratories of Parasitic and Viral Diseases, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Harshini Mukundan
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Norman A. Doggett
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States
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30
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Beyond horizontal gene transfer: the role of plasmids in bacterial evolution. Nat Rev Microbiol 2021; 19:347-359. [PMID: 33469168 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-020-00497-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 60.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Plasmids have a key role in bacterial ecology and evolution because they mobilize accessory genes by horizontal gene transfer. However, recent studies have revealed that the evolutionary impact of plasmids goes above and beyond their being mere gene delivery platforms. Plasmids are usually kept at multiple copies per cell, producing islands of polyploidy in the bacterial genome. As a consequence, the evolution of plasmid-encoded genes is governed by a set of rules different from those affecting chromosomal genes, and these rules are shaped by unusual concepts in bacterial genetics, such as genetic dominance, heteroplasmy or segregational drift. In this Review, we discuss recent advances that underscore the importance of plasmids in bacterial ecology and evolution beyond horizontal gene transfer. We focus on new evidence that suggests that plasmids might accelerate bacterial evolution, mainly by promoting the evolution of plasmid-encoded genes, but also by enhancing the adaptation of their host chromosome. Finally, we integrate the most relevant theoretical and empirical studies providing a global understanding of the forces that govern plasmid-mediated evolution in bacteria.
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31
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Neil K, Allard N, Grenier F, Burrus V, Rodrigue S. Highly efficient gene transfer in the mouse gut microbiota is enabled by the Incl 2 conjugative plasmid TP114. Commun Biol 2020; 3:523. [PMID: 32963323 PMCID: PMC7508951 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01253-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiota is a suspected hotspot for bacterial conjugation due to its high density and diversity of microorganisms. However, the contribution of different conjugative plasmid families to horizontal gene transfer in this environment remains poorly characterized. Here, we systematically quantified the transfer rates in the mouse intestinal tract for 13 conjugative plasmids encompassing 10 major incompatibility groups. The vast majority of these plasmids were unable to perform conjugation in situ or only reached relatively low transfer rates. Surprisingly, IncI2 conjugative plasmid TP114 was identified as a proficient DNA delivery system in this environment, with the ability to transfer to virtually 100% of the probed recipient bacteria. We also show that a type IV pilus present in I-complex conjugative plasmids plays a crucial role for the transfer of TP114 in the mouse intestinal microbiota, most likely by contributing to mating pair stabilization. These results provide new insights on the mobility of genes in the gut microbiota and highlights TP114 as a very efficient DNA delivery system of interest for microbiome editing tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Neil
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Nancy Allard
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Frédéric Grenier
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Vincent Burrus
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Sébastien Rodrigue
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada.
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32
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Hülter NF, Wein T, Effe J, Garoña A, Dagan T. Intracellular Competitions Reveal Determinants of Plasmid Evolutionary Success. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:2062. [PMID: 33013753 PMCID: PMC7500096 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.02062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are autonomously replicating genetic elements that are ubiquitous in all taxa and habitats where they constitute an integral part of microbial genomes. The stable inheritance of plasmids depends on their segregation during cell division and their long-term persistence in a host population is thought to largely depend on their impact on the host fitness. Nonetheless, many plasmids found in nature are lacking a clear trait that is advantageous to their host; the determinants of plasmid evolutionary success in the absence of plasmid benefit to the host remain understudied. Here we show that stable plasmid inheritance is an important determinant of plasmid evolutionary success. Borrowing terminology from evolutionary biology of cellular living forms, we hypothesize that Darwinian fitness is key for the plasmid evolutionary success. Performing intracellular plasmid competitions between non-mobile plasmids enables us to compare the evolutionary success of plasmid genotypes within the host, i.e., the plasmid fitness. Intracellular head-to-head competitions between stable and unstable variants of the same model plasmid revealed that the stable plasmid variant has a higher fitness in comparison to the unstable plasmid. Preemptive plasmid competitions reveal that plasmid fitness may depend on the order of plasmid arrival in the host. Competitions between plasmids characterized by similar stability of inheritance reveal plasmid fitness differences depending on the plasmid-encoded trait. Our results further reveal that competing plasmids can be maintained in coexistence following plasmid fusions that maintain unstable plasmid variants over time. Plasmids are not only useful accessory genetic elements to their host but they are also evolving and replicating entities, similarly to cellular living forms. There is a clear link between plasmid genetics and plasmid evolutionary success – hence plasmids are evolving entities whose fitness is quantifiable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils F Hülter
- Institute of General Microbiology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Tanita Wein
- Institute of General Microbiology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Johannes Effe
- Institute of General Microbiology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ana Garoña
- Institute of General Microbiology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Tal Dagan
- Institute of General Microbiology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
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33
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Campos M, San Millán Á, Sempere JM, Lanza VF, Coque TM, Llorens C, Baquero F. Simulating the Influence of Conjugative-Plasmid Kinetic Values on the Multilevel Dynamics of Antimicrobial Resistance in a Membrane Computing Model. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2020; 64:e00593-20. [PMID: 32457104 PMCID: PMC7526830 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00593-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial plasmids harboring antibiotic resistance genes are critical in the spread of antibiotic resistance. It is known that plasmids differ in their kinetic values, i.e., conjugation rate, segregation rate by copy number incompatibility with related plasmids, and rate of stochastic loss during replication. They also differ in cost to the cell in terms of reducing fitness and in the frequency of compensatory mutations compensating plasmid cost. However, we do not know how variation in these values influences the success of a plasmid and its resistance genes in complex ecosystems, such as the microbiota. Genes are in plasmids, plasmids are in cells, and cells are in bacterial populations and microbiotas, which are inside hosts, and hosts are in human communities at the hospital or the community under various levels of cross-colonization and antibiotic exposure. Differences in plasmid kinetics might have consequences on the global spread of antibiotic resistance. New membrane computing methods help to predict these consequences. In our simulation, conjugation frequency of at least 10-3 influences the dominance of a strain with a resistance plasmid. Coexistence of different antibiotic resistances occurs if host strains can maintain two copies of similar plasmids. Plasmid loss rates of 10-4 or 10-5 or plasmid fitness costs of ≥0.06 favor plasmids located in the most abundant species. The beneficial effect of compensatory mutations for plasmid fitness cost is proportional to this cost at high mutation frequencies (10-3 to 10-5). The results of this computational model clearly show how changes in plasmid kinetics can modify the entire population ecology of antibiotic resistance in the hospital setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelino Campos
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, IRYCIS, Madrid, Spain
- Valencian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence (VRAIN), Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Álvaro San Millán
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, IRYCIS, Madrid, Spain
- National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Network Research Center for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - José M Sempere
- Valencian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence (VRAIN), Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Val F Lanza
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, IRYCIS, Madrid, Spain
- Bioinformatics Support Unit, IRYCIS, Madrid, Spain
- Network Research Center for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Teresa M Coque
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, IRYCIS, Madrid, Spain
- Network Research Center for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Llorens
- Biotechvana, Valencia Technological Park, Paterna, Spain
| | - Fernando Baquero
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, IRYCIS, Madrid, Spain
- Network Research Center for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
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34
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Munck C, Sheth RU, Cuaresma E, Weidler J, Stump SL, Zachariah P, Chong DH, Uhlemann AC, Abrams JA, Wang HH, Freedberg DE. The effect of short-course antibiotics on the resistance profile of colonizing gut bacteria in the ICU: a prospective cohort study. Crit Care 2020; 24:404. [PMID: 32646458 PMCID: PMC7350675 DOI: 10.1186/s13054-020-03061-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The need for early antibiotics in the intensive care unit (ICU) is often balanced against the goal of antibiotic stewardship. Long-course antibiotics increase the burden of antimicrobial resistance within colonizing gut bacteria, but the dynamics of this process are not fully understood. We sought to determine how short-course antibiotics affect the antimicrobial resistance phenotype and genotype of colonizing gut bacteria in the ICU by performing a prospective cohort study with assessments of resistance at ICU admission and exactly 72 h later. METHODS Deep rectal swabs were performed on 48 adults at the time of ICU admission and exactly 72 h later, including patients who did and did not receive antibiotics. To determine resistance phenotype, rectal swabs were cultured for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). In addition, Gram-negative bacterial isolates were cultured against relevant antibiotics. To determine resistance genotype, quantitative PCR (qPCR) was performed from rectal swabs for 87 established resistance genes. Within-individual changes in antimicrobial resistance were calculated based on culture and qPCR results and correlated with exposure to relevant antibiotics (e.g., did β-lactam antibiotic exposure associate with a detectable change in β-lactam resistance over this 72-h period?). RESULTS Of 48 ICU patients, 41 (85%) received antibiotics. Overall, there was no increase in the antimicrobial resistance profile of colonizing gut bacteria during the 72-h study period. There was also no increase in antimicrobial resistance after stratification by receipt of antibiotics (i.e., no detectable increase in β-lactam, vancomycin, or macrolide resistance regardless of whether patients received those same antibiotics). This was true for both culture and PCR. Antimicrobial resistance pattern at ICU admission strongly predicted resistance pattern after 72 h. CONCLUSIONS Short-course ICU antibiotics made little detectable difference in the antimicrobial resistance pattern of colonizing gut bacteria over 72 h in the ICU. This provides an improved understanding of the dynamics of antimicrobial resistance in the ICU and some reassurance that short-course antibiotics may not adversely impact the stewardship goal of reducing antimicrobial resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Munck
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 3960 Broadway, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
| | - Ravi U Sheth
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 3960 Broadway, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Edward Cuaresma
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA
| | - Jessica Weidler
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA
| | - Stephania L Stump
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA
| | - Philip Zachariah
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA
| | - David H Chong
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA
| | - Anne-Catrin Uhlemann
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA
| | - Julian A Abrams
- Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 630 West 168th Street, P&S 3-401, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Harris H Wang
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 3960 Broadway, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Daniel E Freedberg
- Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 630 West 168th Street, P&S 3-401, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
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35
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Dysbiosis individualizes the fitness effect of antibiotic resistance in the mammalian gut. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:1268-1278. [PMID: 32632259 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1235-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
In the absence of antibiotics, it is essential that antibiotic resistance has a fitness cost for microorganisms if suspending antibiotics treatment is to be a useful strategy for reducing antibiotic resistance. However, the cost of antibiotic resistance within the complex ecosystem of the mammalian gut is not well understood. Here, using mice, we show that the same antibiotic resistance mutation can reduce fitness in one host, while being neutral or even increasing fitness in other hosts. Such antagonistic pleiotropy is shaped by the microbiota because resistance in germ-free mice is consistently costly across all hosts, and the host-specific effect on antibiotic resistance is reduced in hosts with similar microbiotas. Using an eco-evolutionary model of competition for resources, we identify a general mechanism that underlies between-host variation and predicts that the dynamics of compensatory evolution of resistant bacteria should be host specific, a prediction that was supported by experimental evolution in vivo. The microbiome of each human is close to unique, and our results suggest that the short-term cost of resistances and their long-term within-host evolution are also highly personalized, a finding that may contribute to the observed variable outcome of withdrawing antibiotics to reduce resistance levels.
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36
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Buckner MMC, Ciusa ML, Meek RW, Moorey AR, McCallum GE, Prentice EL, Reid JP, Alderwick LJ, Di Maio A, Piddock LJV. HIV Drugs Inhibit Transfer of Plasmids Carrying Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase and Carbapenemase Genes. mBio 2020; 11:e03355-19. [PMID: 32098822 PMCID: PMC7042701 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03355-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections pose a serious risk to human and animal health. A major factor contributing to this global crisis is the sharing of resistance genes between different bacteria via plasmids. The WHO lists Enterobacteriaceae, such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) and carbapenemases as "critical" priorities for new drug development. These resistance genes are most often shared via plasmid transfer. However, finding methods to prevent resistance gene sharing has been hampered by the lack of screening systems for medium-/high-throughput approaches. Here, we have used an ESBL-producing plasmid, pCT, and a carbapenemase-producing plasmid, pKpQIL, in two different Gram-negative bacteria, E. coli and K. pneumoniae Using these critical resistance-pathogen combinations, we developed an assay using fluorescent proteins, flow cytometry, and confocal microscopy to assess plasmid transmission inhibition within bacterial populations in a medium-throughput manner. Three compounds with some reports of antiplasmid properties were tested; chlorpromazine reduced transmission of both plasmids and linoleic acid reduced transmission of pCT. We screened the Prestwick library of over 1,200 FDA-approved drugs/compounds. From this, we found two nucleoside analogue drugs used to treat HIV, abacavir and azidothymidine (AZT), which reduced plasmid transmission (AZT, e.g., at 0.25 μg/ml reduced pCT transmission in E. coli by 83.3% and pKpQIL transmission in K. pneumoniae by 80.8% compared to untreated controls). Plasmid transmission was reduced by concentrations of the drugs which are below peak serum concentrations and are achievable in the gastrointestinal tract. These drugs could be used to decolonize humans, animals, or the environment from AMR plasmids.IMPORTANCE More and more bacterial infections are becoming resistant to antibiotics. This has made treatment of many infections very difficult. One of the reasons this is such a large problem is that bacteria are able to share their genetic material with other bacteria, and these shared genes often include resistance to a variety of antibiotics, including some of our drugs of last resort. We are addressing this problem by using a fluorescence-based system to search for drugs that will stop bacteria from sharing resistance genes. We uncovered a new role for two drugs used to treat HIV and show that they are able to prevent the sharing of two different types of resistance genes in two unique bacterial strains. This work lays the foundation for future work to reduce the prevalence of resistant infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle M C Buckner
- Institute of Microbiology & Infection, College of Medical & Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom
| | - M Laura Ciusa
- Institute of Microbiology & Infection, College of Medical & Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom
| | - Richard W Meek
- Institute of Microbiology & Infection, College of Medical & Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom
| | - Alice R Moorey
- Institute of Microbiology & Infection, College of Medical & Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom
| | - Gregory E McCallum
- Institute of Microbiology & Infection, College of Medical & Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom
| | - Emma L Prentice
- Institute of Microbiology & Infection, College of Medical & Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy P Reid
- Institute of Microbiology & Infection, College of Medical & Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom
| | - Luke J Alderwick
- Institute of Microbiology & Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandro Di Maio
- Birmingham Advanced Light Microscopy, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom
| | - Laura J V Piddock
- Institute of Microbiology & Infection, College of Medical & Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom
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Recording mobile DNA in the gut microbiota using an Escherichia coli CRISPR-Cas spacer acquisition platform. Nat Commun 2020; 11:95. [PMID: 31911609 PMCID: PMC6946703 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-14012-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The flow of genetic material between bacteria is central to the adaptation and evolution of bacterial genomes. However, our knowledge about DNA transfer within complex microbiomes is lacking, with most studies of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) relying on bioinformatic analyses of genetic elements maintained on evolutionary timescales or experimental measurements of phenotypically trackable markers. Here, we utilize the CRISPR-Cas spacer acquisition process to detect DNA acquisition events from complex microbiota in real-time and at nucleotide resolution. In this system, an E. coli recording strain is exposed to a microbial sample and spacers are acquired from transferred plasmids and permanently stored in genomic CRISPR arrays. Sequencing and analysis of acquired spacers enables identification of the transferred plasmids. This approach allowed us to identify individual mobile elements without relying on phenotypic markers or post-transfer replication. We found that HGT into the recording strain in human clinical fecal samples can be extensive and is driven by different plasmid types, with the IncX type being the most actively transferred.
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38
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Garud NR, Pollard KS. Population Genetics in the Human Microbiome. Trends Genet 2019; 36:53-67. [PMID: 31780057 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2019.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
While the human microbiome's structure and function have been extensively studied, its within-species genetic diversity is less well understood. However, genetic mutations in the microbiome can confer biomedically relevant traits, such as the ability to extract nutrients from food, metabolize drugs, evade antibiotics, and communicate with the host immune system. The population genetic processes by which these traits evolve are complex, in part due to interacting ecological and evolutionary forces in the microbiome. Advances in metagenomic sequencing, coupled with bioinformatics tools and population genetic models, facilitate quantification of microbiome genetic variation and inferences about how this diversity arises, evolves, and correlates with traits of both microbes and hosts. In this review, we explore the population genetic forces (mutation, recombination, drift, and selection) that shape microbiome genetic diversity within and between hosts, as well as efforts towards predictive models that leverage microbiome genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nandita R Garud
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Katherine S Pollard
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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Tepekule B, Abel Zur Wiesch P, Kouyos RD, Bonhoeffer S. Quantifying the impact of treatment history on plasmid-mediated resistance evolution in human gut microbiota. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:23106-23116. [PMID: 31666328 PMCID: PMC6859334 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1912188116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
To understand how antibiotic use affects the risk of a resistant infection, we present a computational model of the population dynamics of gut microbiota including antibiotic resistance-conferring plasmids. We then describe how this model is parameterized based on published microbiota data. Finally, we investigate how treatment history affects the prevalence of resistance among opportunistic enterobacterial pathogens. We simulate treatment histories and identify which properties of prior antibiotic exposure are most influential in determining the prevalence of resistance. We find that resistance prevalence can be predicted by 3 properties, namely the total days of drug exposure, the duration of the drug-free period after last treatment, and the center of mass of the treatment pattern. Overall this work provides a framework for capturing the role of the microbiome in the selection of antibiotic resistance and highlights the role of treatment history for the prevalence of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burcu Tepekule
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland;
| | - Pia Abel Zur Wiesch
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, 0318 Oslo, Norway
| | - Roger D Kouyos
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Bonhoeffer
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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40
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Horizontal Gene Transfer and Acquired Antibiotic Resistance in Salmonella enterica Serovar Heidelberg following In Vitro Incubation in Broiler Ceca. Appl Environ Microbiol 2019; 85:AEM.01903-19. [PMID: 31471306 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01903-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The chicken gastrointestinal tract harbors microorganisms that play a role in the health and disease status of the host. The cecum is the part of the gut that carries the highest microbial densities, has the longest residence time of digesta, and is a vital site for urea recycling and water regulation. Therefore, the cecum provides a rich environment for bacteria to horizontally transfer genes between one another via mobile genetic elements such as plasmids and bacteriophages. In this study, we used broiler chicken cecum as a model to investigate antibiotic resistance genes that can be transferred in vitro from cecal flora to Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg. We used whole-genome sequencing and resistome enrichment to decipher the interactions between S Heidelberg, the gut microbiome, and acquired antibiotic resistance. After 48 h of incubation of ceca under microaerophilic conditions, we recovered one S Heidelberg isolate with an acquired IncK2 plasmid (88 kb) carrying an extended-spectrum-β-lactamase gene (bla CMY-2). In vitro, this plasmid was transferable between Escherichia coli and S Heidelberg strains but transfer was unsuccessful between S Heidelberg strains. An in-depth genetic characterization of transferred plasmids suggests that they share significant homology with P1-like phages. This study contributes to our understanding of horizontal gene transfer between an important foodborne pathogen and the chicken gut microbiome.IMPORTANCE S. Heidelberg is a clinically important serovar, linked to foodborne illness and among the top 5 serovars isolated from poultry in the United States and Canada. Acquisition of new genetic material from the microbial flora in the gastrointestinal tract of food animals, including broilers, may contribute to increased fitness of pathogens like S. Heidelberg and may increase their level of antibiotic tolerance. Therefore, it is critical to gain a better understanding of the interactions that occur between important pathogens and the commensals present in the animal gut and other agroecosystems. In this report, we show that the native flora in broiler ceca were capable of transferring mobile genetic elements carrying the AmpC β-lactamase (bla CMY-2) gene to an important foodborne pathogen, S Heidelberg. The potential role for bacteriophage transduction is also discussed.
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Rozwandowicz M, Brouwer MSM, Mughini-Gras L, Wagenaar JA, Gonzalez-Zorn B, Mevius DJ, Hordijk J. Successful Host Adaptation of IncK2 Plasmids. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2384. [PMID: 31681238 PMCID: PMC6803427 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The IncK plasmid group can be divided into two separate lineages named IncK1 and IncK2. IncK2 is found predominantly in poultry while IncK1 was reported in various mammals, including animals and humans. The physiological basis of this distinction is not known. In this manuscript we examined fitness cost of IncK1 and IncK2 plasmids at 37 and 42°C, which resembles mammalian and chicken body temperatures, respectively. We analyzed conjugation frequency, plasmid copy number and plasmid fitness cost in direct competition. Additionally, we measured levels of σ-32 in Escherichia coli carrying either wild type or conjugation-deficient IncK plasmids. The results show that IncK2 plasmids have a higher conjugation frequency and lower copy number at 42°C compared to IncK1. While the overall fitness cost to the host bacterium of IncK2 plasmids was higher than that of IncK1, it was not affected by the temperature while the fitness cost of IncK1 was shown to increase at 42°C compared to 37°C. These differences correlate with an increased expression of σ-32, a regulator of heat-shock protein expression, in E. coli with IncK2 compared to cells containing IncK1. This effect was not seen in cells containing conjugation deficient plasmids. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the assembly of the functional T4S may lead to these increased levels of σ–32. Increased activation of CpxR at 42°C may explain why IncK2 plasmids, and not IncK1, are predominantly found in chicken isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Rozwandowicz
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | - Lapo Mughini-Gras
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, Netherlands.,Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Jaap A Wagenaar
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
| | - Bruno Gonzalez-Zorn
- Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, Department of Animal Health and VISAVET, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Dik J Mevius
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
| | - Joost Hordijk
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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42
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Das L, Virmani R, Sharma V, Rawat D, Singh Y. Human Milk Microbiota: Transferring the Antibiotic Resistome to Infants. Indian J Microbiol 2019; 59:410-416. [PMID: 31762502 DOI: 10.1007/s12088-019-00824-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Commensal bacterial population is believed to be a reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The infant gut microbiota has relatively higher abundance of ARGs than the adults. These genes can get transferred from commensals to pathogens by horizontal gene transfer, which magnifies the spectrum of antibiotic resistance in the environment. The presence of ARGs in neo-nates and infants, with no prior antibiotic exposure, questions their origin in the naïve commensal population. Breast milk microbiota that is responsible for the initial seeding of infant gut microbiota has also been found to harbour a vast array of ARGs. This review discusses the recent findings that indicate the potential of breast milk microbiota to act as a vehicle for transmission of ARGs to infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lahari Das
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007 India
| | - Richa Virmani
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007 India
| | - Vishal Sharma
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007 India
| | - Deepti Rawat
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007 India
| | - Yogendra Singh
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007 India
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43
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Li A, Wang Y, Pei L, Mehmood K, Li K, Qamar H, Iqbal M, Waqas M, Liu J, Li J. Influence of dietary supplementation with Bacillus velezensis on intestinal microbial diversity of mice. Microb Pathog 2019; 136:103671. [PMID: 31437575 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2019.103671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2019] [Revised: 08/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Yaks are an aboriginal breed of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau (3000 m), which are highly adaptable to cold and hypoxic environments. It is noticed that hypoxia and hypothermia can induce changes in intestinal microbial structure in animals. Increasing evidences suggested that probiotics supplementation can improve the balance of gut microbiota of animals. However, so far, very few studies have emphasized on the probiotics isolated from yaks in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Therefore, a potential probiotic strain Bacillus velezensis was isolated from yaks. In the present study, a total of 18 Kunming mice (15-18 g) were equally distributed into two groups; control and probiotic treated groups (1 × 109 CFU/day). During the experimental period, all the mice from both groups were given standard normal diet ad libitum. At the end of the experiment, mice were euthanized and the intestines (duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and cecum) were removed for high-throughput sequencing. The results demonstrated that Bacillus velezensis supplementation showed beneficial effects on the gut microbiota of mice. Specifically, Bacillus velezensis supplementation increased the population of Lactobacillus and Ruminococcus in the duodenum, and Candidatus Arthromitus in the jejunum. Additionally, Acinetobacter in the duodenum and Helicobacter in the cecum were decreased after feeding Bacillus velezensis. Altogether, these findings suggested that Bacillus velezensis isolated from Tibetan yaks can improve gut microbiota of mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aoyun Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, PR China
| | - Yaping Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, PR China
| | - Lulu Pei
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, PR China
| | - Khalid Mehmood
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, PR China; University College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan
| | - Kun Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, PR China
| | - Hammad Qamar
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, PR China
| | - Mudassar Iqbal
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, PR China; University College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Waqas
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, PR China
| | - Juanjuan Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, PR China
| | - Jiakui Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, PR China; College of Animals Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Tibet Agricultural and Animal Husbandry University, Linzhi, Tibet, 860000, PR China.
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44
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Morley VJ, Woods RJ, Read AF. Bystander Selection for Antimicrobial Resistance: Implications for Patient Health. Trends Microbiol 2019; 27:864-877. [PMID: 31288975 PMCID: PMC7079199 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2019.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial therapy promotes resistance emergence in target infections and in off-target microbiota. Off-target resistance emergence threatens patient health when off-target populations are a source of future infections, as they are for many important drug-resistant pathogens. However, the health risks of antimicrobial exposure in off-target populations remain largely unquantified, making rational antibiotic stewardship challenging. Here, we discuss the contribution of bystander antimicrobial exposure to the resistance crisis, the implications for antimicrobial stewardship, and some novel opportunities to limit resistance evolution while treating target pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie J Morley
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Departments of Biology and Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Robert J Woods
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Andrew F Read
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Departments of Biology and Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA; Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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45
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Kiddee A, Assawatheptawee K, Na-Udom A, Boonsawang P, Treebupachatsakul P, Walsh TR, Niumsup PR. Risk Factors for Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae Carriage in Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Unit in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Thailand. Microb Drug Resist 2019; 25:1182-1190. [PMID: 31140920 DOI: 10.1089/mdr.2018.0318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) are important causes of serious infections in intensive care unit (ICU). This study aimed to investigate the risk factors for intestinal carriage of ESBL-PE among patients admitted to ICU, subsequent ESBL-PE infections, and outcomes of these patients. This study prospectively collected rectal swabs from 215 ICU patients in Northern Thailand and ESBL-PE were isolated. A high prevalence of ESBL-PE carriage (134/215, 62.3%) at ICU admission was observed, with Escherichia coli representing the predominant organism (67.5%) followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (19.4%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified chronic renal disease as the independent risk factor for ESBL-PE carriage (p = 0.009; adjusted odds ratio = 4.369; 95% confidence interval = 1.455-13.119). Among colonized patients, 2.2% (3/134) developed ESBL-PE infections during ICU stay. Phylogenetic analysis of E. coli (n = 108) showed that the predominant group was group A (38.0%), followed by groups B1 (17.6%), D (15.7%), B2 (14.8%), C (7.4%), and F (6.5%). Multilocus sequence typing analysis of the pathogenic groups B2, D, and F revealed 11 different sequence types (STs), with ST131 (n = 13) as the most prevalent, followed by ST648 (n = 5), ST38 (n = 4), ST393 (n = 3), and ST1193 (n = 3). These results are of concern since ESBL-PE may be a prerequisite for endogenous infections and potentially disseminate within the hospital. This is the first study describing ESBL-PE carriage among patients at ICU admission and subsequent ESBL-PE infections in Thailand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anong Kiddee
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand
| | - Kanit Assawatheptawee
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand
| | - Anamai Na-Udom
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand
| | - Pratya Boonsawang
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand
| | | | - Timothy R Walsh
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease, Heath Park Hospital, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Pannika R Niumsup
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.,Center of Excellence in Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Science, Center of Excellence in Medical Biotechnology, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand
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46
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Abstract
The composite members of the microbiota face a range of selective pressures and must adapt to persist in the host. We highlight recent work characterizing the evolution and transfer of genetic information across nested scales of host-associated microbiota, which enable resilience to biotic and abiotic perturbations. At the strain level, we consider the preservation and diversification of adaptive information in progeny lineages. At the community level, we consider genetic exchange between distinct microbes in the ecosystem. Finally, we frame microbiomes as open systems subject to acquisition of novel information from foreign ecosystems through invasion by outsider microbes.
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47
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Kirtikliene T, Naugzemys D, Steponkiene A, Bogdevic R, Vizuje G, Zvingila D, Kuisiene N. Evaluation of the Inter- and Intrahospital Spread of Multidrug Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria in Lithuanian Hospitals. Microb Drug Resist 2018; 25:326-335. [PMID: 30339100 DOI: 10.1089/mdr.2018.0160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Spread of multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria became one of the greatest threats in healthcare worldwide. It is generally accepted that both inter- and intrahospital transmissions of these bacteria contribute significantly to this problem. The purpose of the current study was the evaluation of the inter- and intrahospital spread of multidrug resistant Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria in Lithuania. Clinical isolates of Acinetobacter sp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were subjected for the screening for extended spectrum β-lactamase, carbapenemase, as well as plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamase genes. BOX-PCR genotyping was used for the genotyping of these isolates. Our results show that all four pathogens are involved in the intra- and/or interhospital dissemination between the Lithuanian healthcare institutions. The level of transmissions differed between pathogens, and the worst situation was detected for Acinetobacter sp. followed by E. coli. In almost all cases, transmissible strains had at least one gene conferring β-lactam resistance, thereby contributing to the dissemination of the resistance determinants in and between Lithuanian hospitals. Our study clearly demonstrated that immediate actions, more effective strategy, and surveillance are needed to confine and prevent further spread of multidrug resistant Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria in Lithuanian healthcare institutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana Kirtikliene
- 1 Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University , Vilnius, Lithuania .,2 Department of Clinical Testing , National Public Health Surveillance Laboratory, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Donatas Naugzemys
- 3 Botanical Garden of Vilnius University, Vilnius University , Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Ana Steponkiene
- 2 Department of Clinical Testing , National Public Health Surveillance Laboratory, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Robert Bogdevic
- 2 Department of Clinical Testing , National Public Health Surveillance Laboratory, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Greta Vizuje
- 2 Department of Clinical Testing , National Public Health Surveillance Laboratory, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Donatas Zvingila
- 4 Department of Botany and Genetics, Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University , Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Nomeda Kuisiene
- 1 Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University , Vilnius, Lithuania
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48
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Evolution of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in the Clinical Context. Trends Microbiol 2018; 26:978-985. [PMID: 30049587 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2018.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotic-resistant infections are an urgent problem in clinical settings because they sharply increase mortality risk in critically ill patients. The horizontal spread of antibiotic resistance genes among bacteria is driven by bacterial plasmids, promoting the evolution of resistance. Crucially, particular associations exist between resistance plasmids and bacterial clones that become especially successful in clinical settings. However, the factors underlying the success of these associations remain unknown. Recent in vitro evidence reveals (i) that plasmids produce fitness costs in bacteria, and (ii) that these costs are alleviated over time through compensatory mutations. I argue that plasmid-imposed costs and subsequent compensatory adaptation may determine the success of associations between plasmids and bacteria in clinical settings, shaping the in vivo evolution of antibiotic resistance.
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49
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Chromosomal barcoding as a tool for multiplexed phenotypic characterization of laboratory evolved lineages. Sci Rep 2018; 8:6961. [PMID: 29725068 PMCID: PMC5934437 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25201-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive laboratory evolution is an important tool to evolve organisms to increased tolerance towards different physical and chemical stress. It is applied to study the evolution of antibiotic resistance as well as genetic mechanisms underlying improvements in production strains. Adaptive evolution experiments can be automated in a high-throughput fashion. However, the characterization of the resulting lineages can become a time consuming task, when the performance of each lineage is evaluated individually. Here, we present a novel method for the markerless insertion of randomized genetic barcodes into the genome of Escherichia coli using a novel dual-auxotrophic selection approach. The barcoded E. coli library allows multiplexed phenotyping of evolved strains in pooled competition experiments. We use the barcoded library in an adaptive evolution experiment; evolving resistance towards three common antibiotics. Comparing this multiplexed phenotyping with conventional susceptibility testing and growth-rate measurements we can show a significant positive correlation between the two approaches. Use of barcoded bacterial strain libraries for individual adaptive evolution experiments drastically reduces the workload of characterizing the resulting phenotypes and enables prioritization of lineages for in-depth characterization. In addition, barcoded clones open up new ways to profile community dynamics or to track lineages in vivo or situ.
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